Psychometric instruments and methods for mood analysis, psychoeducation, mood health promotion, mood health maintenance and mood disorder therapy

ABSTRACT

A system and method that allows a person to comprehensively and non-verbally express their present, past and anticipated future emotional responses regarding all aspects of their life including relationships, work, study, memories and experiences. The system relies on a method wherein the person can graphically represent their mood state by depicting the proportion that each of a number of primary moods contributes to the mood state for any nominated aspect of their life. The system provides some guidance regarding healthy and unhealthy mixes of these primary moods thereby allowing early identification of vulnerable mood states which without intervention may progress to mood disorders. In a clinical setting, the invention may be valuable in monitoring treatment response, sub-typing mood related diagnoses, measuring therapist-patient empathy, establishing treatment goals and as a therapeutic tool in emotionally focussed psychotherapy. The method can be performed using and electronic device, such as a computer, running appropriate software.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a method of displaying, diagnosing,sub-typing and analysing both healthy and unhealthy emotional or moodstates of a person and a system for use in the method. The presentinvention also provides a user of the method and/or system with anemotional education that can assist in helping them to identify, planand maintain healthy moods.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Mood is generally understood to be the prevailing tone or feeling of aperson. Many terms are used to describe mood with common terms such as“Happy”, “Sad”, “Anger” and “Fear” being just some of the terms used bypersons to describe their mood.

It is normal to have changes of mood and even occasional episodes ofextreme happiness, sadness, anger and fear. However, sustained bouts ofextremes of emotion are disabling for the person and often give rise todisordered thinking patterns and unhealthy behaviours. In contrast,healthy emotional balance allows a person's thoughts, intellectualpotential, intuition and awareness to flow more freely.

A person can be considered to be suffering a mood disorder, which isalso known as an affective disorder, if their moods are characterised bysustained extremes in both intensity and/or type. Even intense symptomsof affective disorders are often misinterpreted as merely mood swingsand unfortunately affective disorders are sometimes confused by some aspersonality flaws rather than a real medical condition. For example,chronic sadness can lead to depression while extreme swings betweenelation and sadness is often considered indicative of manic depressionor bipolar disorder. Extreme levels of fear can lead to panic attackswhile extreme anger can lead to rage and outbreaks of violent behaviourby the person.

It has been suggested that depression and bipolar disorders strike onein seven of the population and that somewhere between 7-14% of childrenwill experience an episode of major depression before the age of 15. TheWorld Health Organisation has also recognised mood disorders as asignificant source of morbidity and mortality, particularly in westerncountries.

Children and adults with mood disorders often do not cope well insociety. When depressed, persons can experience a loss of interest andlack of enjoyment in life, while for a person with bipolar disorder, themanic swings can create a disruptive influence on aspects of their lifeand the lives of those around them.

Despite these statistics, there is still little done to promote mentalhealth education, mental health awareness, mental illnessdestigmatisation and mental illness education.

Mood disorders, such as depression, are generally diagnosed byphysicians through consultation and use of questions, questionnaires andchecklists. While useful, such approaches generally rely on verbalexpression. This can be problematic as the individual may not be able toclearly express their thoughts and feelings in words. This isparticularly the case for children, the developmentally delayed, andsufferers of dyslexia and autism.

One example of an apparatus that allows individuals to express theirmood in a non-verbal manner is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,511,981(Olsen). This patent describes use of a structure that can receivevarious removably securable elements that are indicators of symptoms theindividual is experiencing or feeling. The structure can have a visualelement, such as a depiction of a tree that is divided into areasrepresentative of different moods. For example, the top area of the treecan be the “mania or high region”, the middle area can be the “okayregion” and the bottom area is the “depression or low region”. Theperson attached the elements to the tree in the locations representativeof their mood. The tree can then be studied by a physician looking forclues as to the actual mood state of the person. While providing anon-verbal manner of communicating or indicating mood, the apparatus isquite restricted in use and does not provide a system for monitoringchanges in mood over time.

An example of a system that allows individuals to chart their mood overtime is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,607,390 (Glenn and Whybrow). Thesystem relies on use of a program running on a computer and allows anindividual to enter their daily mood and other clinical data. Thissystem relies on the individual entering a number between 0 and 100 on avisual analogue scale (VAS) that is indicative of their mood over say,the previous 24 hours. The most extreme feelings of depression and maniathe individual has ever experienced define the anchor points of thisscale. While providing individuals with a means of graphicallyrepresenting their mood, this system does not rely on anything but asubjective analysis by the individual of their overall mood state anddoes not provide a breakdown of the various feelings and emotions of theindividual that have caused that mood determination by the individual.

The present invention is directed to a method and/or system thatpreferably does not suffer at least some of the deficiencies of theprior art.

Any discussion of documents, acts, materials, devices, articles or thelike which has been included in the present specification is solely forthe purpose of providing a context for the present invention. It is notto be taken as an admission that any or all of these matters form partof the prior art base or were common general knowledge in the fieldrelevant to the present invention as it existed before the priority dateof each claim of this application.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Throughout this specification the word “comprise”, or variations such as“comprises” or “comprising”, will be understood to imply the inclusionof a stated element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers orsteps, but not the exclusion of any other element, integer or step, orgroup of elements, integers or steps.

The present invention is depicted to a method that preferably allows anindividual to express and monitor their moods and preferably provideinsights into their mood beyond that provided by the prior art. Thisinvention also preferably provides a comprehensive, yet simple,qualitative and quantitative mood rating system. The invention alsopreferably provides a colourful, visuo-spatial and non-verbal form ofmood expression.

The present inventor proposes a “Quaternary Mood Theory” (QMT) in whichfour so-called primary moods combine in various combinations to generatea multitude of so-called secondary moods. These secondary moodsgenerally reflect the overall emotional state of a person. Thus, thisQuaternary Mood Theory can be considered in some ways as analogous tocolour theory which identifies three primary colours which in variousproportions mix to generate all colours. For the purposes of the theory,the inventor terms these primary moods as happy, sad, fear and anger.Other terms than these but which convey the same general sense can beenvisaged and are referred to below.

Fear in small amounts is very healthy and can serve as a source ofprotection from danger. Unfortunately, many people do not like toexpress fear as this mood has been stigmatised with negativeconnotations. Of course, too much fear is unhealthy and leads to panicattacks, anxiety disorders and avoidant behaviour.

Anger in small amounts is also very healthy and encourages a person todefend themself, assert an opinion and protect loved ones. Like fear,anger is stigmatised and is generally viewed as a destructive moodstate. This is despite the fact that appropriate levels of anger can beenergising, motivating and liberating. Excessive anger is of courseunhealthy as it can lead to rage and damaging or abusive behaviours.

The “Flight or Fight” response is a well recognised primitive survivalbrain reflex which involves these two abovementioned primary moods offear and anger respectively.

Sad feelings in moderate amounts, contrary to the stigma, are also veryhealthy emotional states. Times of sadness can promote problem solving,self-reflection, tolerance and maturation. Excessive sadness is howeverunhealthy and can result in depression.

Modern society places much emphasis on happiness. While happy feelingsin moderate amounts are healthy in that they promote relaxation,laughter and optimism, happy moods need to be present in a healthy blendwith the other primary moods of fear, anger, and sad. If happy moods arepresent in excessive proportions this can lead to the unhealthy mooddisorder known as mania.

A person's mood state will typically be a secondary mood state that isbased on some combination or blend of these four primary moods. Thusthis “Quaternary Mood Theory”, has the potential to provide anintegrated and relatively simple approach to understanding mood healthand mood disorders.

The inventor proposes that the neuroanatomical architecture of thebihemispheric and symmetrical human brain supports this model. Clinicaland research observations from Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation andDeep Brain Stimulation studies support a relationship between neuralpolarisation and emotional state. Moreover, clinical experience andobservation supports the Quaternary division of basic mood states giventhat four qualitatively distinct extremes of Emotion are already wellrecognised, being “Mania”, “Depression”, “Rage”, and “Panic”.

The inventor further proposes that the optimal baseline primary mood mix(PMM) is present when the approximate ratio of fear:anger:sad:happy isin the order of a ratio of 1:2:3:4 respectively. Clearly such a ratio isnot possible or appropriate at all times. However, this “ideal” primarymood mix (PMM) does provide a baseline primary mood mix goal. Theinventor notes from his clinical experience that as a person's primarymood mix diverges further from this 1:2:3:4 ratio the person is lessable to utilize their intellect. Moreover, the risk of a persondeveloping a Mood Disorder increases as the PMM shifts away from thisideal PMM. If any one of the primary moods occupies more than 50% of thetotal PMM ratio for a sustained period, then that person is atheightened risk of developing a Mood Disorder.

The present invention is directed to a method and tool for graphicallypresenting the mood state of a person. The method and tool then can beused to determine, monitor, analyse and/or treat the mood of the personand allow the person to set mood goals. The method can advantageously beused on children and adolescents, to provide a method of determining thecurrent mood state. Also, the mood state pertaining to all manner offoci can be created by thinking about a specific past, present oranticipated event, person or persons, or thing. In particular, itprovides a technique for looking beyond what might be called thesecondary mood state being experienced by the person and attempts tobreak that secondary mood down into its mix of component primary moods.It is proposed by the inventor that over time an individual can improvetheir mood reflection skills or emotional insight by the repeatedprocess of identifying their various mixtures of the four primary moodsunderlying any given secondary mood state.

By being aware of their current mood state or the mood state caused bythinking about a particular foci, by determining triggers for mood statechange, and by monitoring changes in mood state over time, the presentinvention preferably provides the person or their consulting physicianwith insights into how to identify, treat, modify and/or handle moodsbefore they transform into serious psychiatric disorders, such asdepression or bipolar disorder. Moreover, Mood Goals are able to begraphically established utilising the present invention.

The present inventor has coined the term “Emotional Behavioural Therapy”(EBT) to describe the potential treatment offered by the presentinvention. In this EBT form of therapy, the patient is encouraged toexamine past memories and consider the associated mixture of moods thataccompany that memory being examined. Those memories which areaccompanied by, or evoke, a healthy primary mood mix (PMM) areconsidered resolved and stable. However, those memories associated with,or evoking, an unhealthy blend of PMM are considered unresolved andunstable.

In contrast to other forms of psychotherapy such as CognitiveBehavioural Therapy (CBT) which primarily focuses on improving themixture of healthy and unhealthy thoughts, this invention directs theexamination towards the healthy and unhealthy mixture of primary moods.Thus, the primary focus of EBT is mood related with change beingdirected towards improving the person's PMM related to various memoriesin their life. The inventor utilises an analogy between the “bricks andmortar of a wall” and the “memories and moods of a mind” in EBT. In thisanalogy, the bricks represent memories while the emotional response toeach memory is symbolised by the mortar surrounding each brick. Likemortar which can be strong or weak depending on the mixture of its fouringredients, the emotional response to memories can afford strength orweakness to our mind depending on the PMM. The abovementioned ideal PMMof 1:2:3:4 provides the greatest strength of “mortar” and securesmemories into stable positions within the “brick wall” of the mind.

The present invention can be used by the person alone or in consultationwith a physician. The invention can be utilised to measure the level ofemotional empathy between a Doctor and patient by comparing separatelyformed data sets from the Doctor and patient.

In one aspect, the present invention is a method of graphicallyrepresenting a selected mood state of a person, the method comprisingthe steps of:

(a) presenting a graphical representation means to the person; and

(b) having the person use the graphical representation means tographically represent the proportion that each of a number of primarymoods contributes to the selected mood state.

In a further embodiment, the method further comprises a step of:

(c) displaying the result of the graphical representation.

According to a second aspect, the present invention is a system forgraphically representing a selected mood-state of a person, the systemcomprising:

a graphical representation means for graphically representing theproportion that each of a number of primary moods contributes to theirselected mood state.

In one embodiment, the graphical representation means of the firstaspect or the system of the second aspect can comprise an electronicdevice. Such a device can allow use by a person of colour and/ordimension to graphically represent the proportion that said each of anumber of primary moods contributes to said selected mood state. Thedevice can be used by the person alone or in combination with inputreceived from a physician. The inventor has coined the tern “mood tool”for the various devices that can be used by the person to graphicallyrepresent the proportion that said each of a number of primary moodscontributes to the selected mood state.

In this embodiment, the electronic device can be selected from the groupcomprising a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a notebook typecomputer, a personal organiser, a handheld game device, and a cellularor mobile telephone. The electronic device can also be solely designedfor use in the method according to the present invention.

In one embodiment, the electronic device preferably has amicroprocessor, a visual display device, and an input device. In afurther embodiment, the device preferably has a data storage device.

The electronic device preferably relies on use of software instructionsor programme code to run a programme on the device that allows a personto graphically represent the said selected mood state.

In one embodiment, the programme code can, on execution, result in theelectronic device requiring the person to input identification detailsbefore proceeding. For example, the electronic device can be caused todisplay an Identifier Menu, which the person utilises to input data suchas their name, address, age, etc. These details can be stored in thedata storage device of the electronic device and used to ensure that theperson is only able to access their data and/or allow later comparisonof that particular person's mood state as determined at different timesby use of the method as defined herein.

In a further embodiment, the programme code can, on execution, result inthe device displaying a Select Menu which allows the person to selectwhich of a plurality of colours is representative to them of aparticular primary mood. The Select Menu can comprise the electronicdevice displaying a plurality of blocks of different colour on thevisual display device. These colours can include red, blue, yellow,green, black, and orange. Other suitable colours can be envisaged. Theperson then selects a colour from those presented for each of theprimary moods. In one embodiment, the blocks of colour can comprisecoloured dots depicted on a screen. A question or request can also bedisplayed on the screen. In addition to or instead of this, the questionor request can be output through a set of speakers or earphones to theperson. The question or request would be repeated each time for each ofthe primary moods.

The person will normally be asked to assign a colour to a primary mood.Typically, the person will be asked to assign a colour to four primarymoods. In the case of children, the primary moods mentioned might be“Fear”, “Anger”, “Sad” and “Happy”. In the case of adults, the fourprimary moods may be presented in the same way or as “Caution”,“Assertion or Courage”, “Reflection or Solving-time” and “Delight orSolved-time”. Other representative terms can be envisaged.

It is generally regarded that there is no correct colour to identifythese primary moods. The method does though allow the person to selectwhich colour is representative of which primary mood. Changes in theselection of colour for a particular primary mood may be noted by thephysician and used to monitor changes in mood state.

Use of the electronic device can allow the following questions to bedisplayed:

Choose your colour for “Fear” (or “Assertion”).

Choose your colour for “Anger” (or “Caution”).

Choose your colour for “Sad” (or “Reflection”).

Choose your colour for “Happy” (or “Delight”).

Prior to or after displaying these requests, the electronic device orthe consulting physician might ask the person to think about or focus ontheir current mood state or instead think or focus on a particularsubject. This step is coined “mood-focus” by the present inventor. Inthe case of an electronic device, the device might have a Focus Menuwhich allows the person to select their subject from a number ofpresented options. For example, the subjects presented to the personmight include:

Myself

Family

Friends

Work

School

Other.

Where the person chooses “Myself”, the person can be presented with asub-menu of subjects. For example, the subjects presented in thesub-menu might include:

My Looks

My Thoughts

My Weight

My Personality

My Habits

Other

Where the person chooses one of these subjects, the person can bepresented with a still further sub-menu of subjects. For example, theperson in selecting “My Looks” might be presented with the followinglist of foci:

How I now feel about my looks.

How I used to feel about my looks.

How I would like to feel about my looks.

Similar statements might be presented for each of the subjects in thesub-menu. Where the person chooses “Other”, the programme wouldpreferably allow the person to enter the subject that is person isproposing to focus on.

Where the person chooses “Family”, the person can be presented with asub-menu of subjects. For example, the subjects presented in thesub-menu might include:

Mother

Father

Brother

Sister

Children

Other

Where the person chooses one of these subjects, the person can bepresented with a still further sub-menu of subjects. For example, theperson in selecting “Mother” might be presented with the following listof foci:

How I now feel about my mother.

How I used to feel about my mother.

How I would like to feel about my mother.

Similar statements might be presented for each of the subjects in thesub-menu.

Where the person chooses “Friends”, the person can be presented with asub-menu of subjects. For example, the subjects presented in thesub-menu might include:

Boyfriend

Girlfriend

Other

Where the person chooses one of these subjects, the person can bepresented with a still further sub-menu of subjects. For example, theperson in selecting “Boyfriend” might be presented with the followinglist of foci:

How I now feel about my boyfriend.

How I used to feel about my boyfriend.

How I would like to feel about my boyfriend.

Similar statements might be presented for each of the subjects in thesub-menu.

Where the person chooses “Work”, the person can be presented with asub-menu of subjects. For example, the subjects presented in thesub-menu might include:

Boss

Workmates

Customers

Workload

Holidays

Sick leave

Other

Where the person chooses one of these subjects, the person can bepresented with a still further sub-menu of subjects. For example, theperson in selecting “Boss” might be presented with the following list offoci:

How I now feel about my boss.

How I used to feel about my boss.

How I would like to feel about my boss.

Similar statements might be presented for each of the subjects in thesub-menu.

Where the person chooses “School”, the person can be presented with asub-menu of subjects. For example, the subjects presented in thesub-menu might include:

School work

Homework

School friends

Teacher

School bully

Examinations

Other

Where the person chooses one of these subjects, the person can bepresented with a still further sub-menu of subjects. For example, theperson in selecting “School work” might be presented with the followinglist of foci:

How I now feel about my school work.

How I used to feel about my school work.

How I would like to feel about my school work.

Similar statements might be presented for each of the subjects in thesub-menu.

If desired, the particular subject might be entered into the electronicdevice using the input device and stored in the data storage device forlater retrieval or comparison with other tests.

In this aspect, the input device might comprise a keyboard, a keypad, amouse, a joystick, a stylus, a touch screen, or any other device used toinput data into an electronic device.

A number of techniques or mood tools can be used to graphicallyrepresent the proportion that the person considers a primary moodcontributes to the selected mood state.

For example, once the colours for each primary mood have been selected,the programme code can then result in the electronic device displaying agraphical input screen that allows the person to graphically representthe proportion that each primary mood contributes to the selected moodstate.

In one embodiment, the graphical input screen can comprise a shape ofpre-defined area that is able to be coloured in by the person using theinput device. In one embodiment, the person selects a first primary moodand then the person fills a portion of that area that is representativeof the proportion that the person considers that primary moodrepresented by that colour contributes to the selected mood state.

For example, a child that enjoys school may choose to fill a significantportion of the pre-defined area with a colour that has been selected bythat child as representative of the primary mood “Happy”, with much lessof the area coloured in with the colour selected for the primary moodstate of “Sad”, “Anger” or “Fear”. For a child that does not enjoyschool or is experiencing bullying at school, the reverse may beexpected. This process can be repeated for each of the primary moodsuntil the pre-defined area is full. While each shape will typically befilled with four different colours in various proportions, it will beappreciated that the person may wish to choose less than four colours ifthey believe that one or more of the primary moods do not at allcontribute to the selected mood state. This will be noted by theclinician and the person will be encouraged to choose four colours andgenerate a very small segment for that primary mood they feel isseemingly absent. For example, a person may not be able to identify any“happy” primary mood when focussing on a tragic event but withencouragement they will be able to feel some small degree of “happy”feelings that the tragedy is now in the past, has not recurred and wasnot worse.

The process of colouring in a proportion of the shape can be achievedthrough use of a stylus and a touch screen or a pointer clicking on ascreen icon. Where a stylus and touch screen is used, the touch screenof the computer recognises the location of the stylus and colours in theshape on the screen in accordance with the movements of the stylus bythe person.

In one embodiment, the predefined area can be a circle. Other shapescan, however, be envisaged. A circle is, however, preferred as theperson can be asked to colour in the circle in a manner that results inthe circle looking like a pie chart. This pie-chart, or “mood-pie” ascoined by the present inventor, provides a graphical representation ofmood state. Changes in the mood-pie over time also provide a means ofassessing changes in mood state.

The process can be repeated on one or more occasions over a period oftime. The period of time might constitute minutes, hours, days, weeks,months or even years. The person can choose or be asked to think aboutor mood-focus on the same subject each time they undergo the method andcolour in a mood-pie representative of the primary moods. The variousmood-pies can be stored in the storage device for later retrieval and/orcomparison with other tests. In one embodiment, the device might allowplayback of the various stored mood-pies over time. This allowslongitudinal analysis of the mood state and any changes in the mood-pieover the period of time may be used as a guide to understanding thechange in mood state of the person over that period of time.

In another embodiment, the mood tool can be a graphical input screenthat displays of one or more Cartesian planes (or xy planes) that allowthe person to plot points for each of the primary moods.

For example, the person may be asked to assign a number on a scale, suchas between 0 and 10, that is representative of the degree to which aprimary mood is representative of their feelings about said selectedmood state. This may be repeated for each of the four primary moodsdefined herein.

The numbers chosen by the person are preferably plotted on the axes ofthe Cartesian plane. In one embodiment, the positive side of the y-axiscan be representative of “Happy” (or “Delight”) while the negative sideof the y-axis is representative of “Sad” (or “Reflection”). The positiveside of the x-axis can be representative of the primary mood “Fear” (or“Caution”) while the negative side of the x-axis can be representativeof “Anger” (or “Assertion”). The use of the axes of the Cartesian planein other combinations can be envisaged. For example, the primary moods“Happy” and “Sad” can instead be plotted on the x-axis while the primarymoods “Fear” and “Anger” can be plotted on the y-axis.

In these embodiments, the person in focussing on a particular subjectcan select a number on a scale, such as between 0 and 10, for eachprimary mood and this number can be plotted on the axes of the Cartesianplane. In a preferred embodiment, and where the person is using theelectronic device as defined herein, the person can enter the number andthis is then plotted on the Cartesian plane by the device. In oneembodiment, a coloured line can be drawn from the origin of theCartesian plane to the plot. Again, where used, this is preferablyperformed by the electronic device. The colour of this line ispreferably selected by the person as being representative of that moodstate. This process can be repeated for each of the primary moods. Theresult is four coloured lines of individual length extending from theorigin of the Cartesian plane. This set of four lines, or “mood-compass”as coined by the present inventor, presents in graphical form the moodstate of the person.

As with the mood-pie described above, the process can be repeated on oneor more occasions over a period of time, with the period of timeconstituting minutes, hours, days, weeks, months or even years.Preferably, the person is asked to think about or mood-focus on the samesubject each time and plot their primary moods and form a mood-compass.Any changes in the mood-compass over the period of time may be used as aguide to understanding the change in mood state of the person over thatperiod of time.

It will be appreciated that in forming the mood-compass, the number doesnot need to be between 0 and 10 and can instead be between any twonumbers. In another embodiment, for example, the person may select anumber between 0 and 100.

In one embodiment, the plots made on the Cartesian plane can be used toform a quadrangle that is formed by joining the plots made on theCartesian plane. This four-sided figure, or “mood-quadrangle” as coinedby the present inventor, presents in graphical form the mood state ofthe person. As with the mood-pie described above, the process can berepeated on one or more occasions over a period of time, with the periodof time constituting minutes, hours, days, weeks, months or even years.Preferably, the person is asked to think about or mood-focus on the samesubject each time and plot their primary moods and form amood-quadrangle. Any changes in the mood-quadrangle (eg. shape and/orarea) over the period of time may be used as a guide to understandingthe change in mood state of the person over that period of time.

In a still further embodiment, the graphical representation can beplotted on a Cartesian space (or xyz-space) instead of just a Cartesianplane. In this regard, one or two of the primary moods may be plotted ona z axis of the Cartesian space. This has the potential of allowing theperson to form three-dimensional representations of their mood state ora “mood-space”. As with the mood-pie described above, the process can berepeated on one or more occasions over a period of time, with the periodof time constituting minutes, hours, days, weeks, months or even years.Preferably, the person is asked to think about or mood-focus on the samesubject each time and plot their primary moods on the Cartesian space.Any changes in the shape of the three-dimensional representation overthe period of time may be used as a guide to understanding the change inmood state of the person over that period of time.

Where the person is using an electronic device, the computer canautomatically generate a mood-quadrangle or mood-space on completion ofthe mood-compass by the person. The mood-compass, mood-quadrangle, ormood-space can be stored in the storage device for later review and/orcomparison with other tests.

In a still further embodiment, the person can be presented with a moodtool wherein the person is presented with a set of coloured rings ofvarying diameters. In using these rings, the person can select a ringcolour representative of a particular primary mood and then select froma range of sizes a ring of a particular diameter representative of thedegree to which a primary mood is representative of their feelings aboutsaid subject. Generally, the greater the proportion a primary mood isrepresentative of their feelings about said subject, the larger the ringdiameter.

In a preferred embodiment, the person will be instructed to put togetherthe set of concentric rings by starting with what they regard as theirpredominant primary mood about said subject and then work inwardlyplacing smaller diameter rings representative of the other primary moodswithin the firstly selected largest ring to form a graphicalrepresentation of their mood state. The rings, or “mood-rings” as coinedby the present inventor, once put together provide a graphicalrepresentation of the mood state of the person.

As with the mood-pie described above, the process can be repeated on oneor more occasions over a period of time, with the period of timeconstituting minutes, hours, days, weeks, months or even years. Again,preferably, the person is asked to think about or mood-focus on the samesubject each time and select and put together the mood-rings. Anychanges in the mood-rings over the period of time may be used as a guideto understanding the change in mood state of the person over that periodof time.

The process of forming the mood-ring can be performed on the electronicdevice with the programme allowing the person to form a mood-ring asalready defined by selecting coloured rings of desired dimensions on thedisplay device of the device. The mood-ring so formed can be stored inthe storage device for later review and/or comparison with other tests.

In addition to providing a means of graphically representing a moodstate, the electronic device can be used to analyse the graphicalrepresentations and provide statistical analyses thereof. For example,the computer can allocate a score to each primary mood based on thegraphical representation such that the total score adds to 100 or someother number. A so-called FASH (Fear/Anger/Sad/Happy) score, index orration can then be output by the computer. For example, in focussing ona selected subject, one person might be determined to have a FASH indexof 10:20:30:40. Another person may instead have a FASH index of5:25:40:30 for the same subject. Other results can readily be envisaged.

In yet another embodiment, the FASH score or index can be used to form astill further graphical representation of the selected mood state of theperson. In this regard, the graphical representation can comprise twosets of balanced arms, with a first arm supporting the fulcrum of asecond arm. The first arm can be representative of the primary moods“fear” and “anger” while the second arm can be representative of theprimary moods “happy” and “sad”. The present inventor has coined theterm “mood-balance tower” for this graphical representation of overallmood state. The colours and lengths of the left and right sides of twoarms are determined by the person's choice of primary mood colours andin proportion to FASH ratio.

Where the determined score for the primary moods “Fear” and “Anger” arethe same, the first arm will be graphically depicted as evenly balancedwith the length of the left and right side of the arm being equidistantfrom the fulcrum. Where the score allocated to “fear” is greater than orless than the score allocated to “anger”, the first arm will be depictedas unbalanced, with the degree of unbalance being dependent on thedifference between the scores allocated to these two primary moods. Ifthe score allocated to “Fear” is less than that allocated to “Anger”,the first balance arm will be depicted as tipped relatively downwardlyon the “Anger” side of the balance in proportion to the differencebetween the relative scores for “Fear” and “Anger”.

Where the determined score for the primary moods “Happy” and “Sad” arethe same, the second arm will be graphically depicted as evenlybalanced. Where the score allocated to “Happy” is greater than or lessthan the score allocated to “Sad”, the second balance arm will bedepicted as unbalanced, with the degree of unbalance again beingdependent on the difference between the scores allocated to these twoprimary moods.

The graphical representation of the second arm, which represents “Happy”and “Sad” being supported by the first arm representing “anger” and“fear”, is in accordance with an epigenetic aspect of the QMT postulatedby the present inventor. The primary moods “Anger” and “Fear” are coreemotional states which are required to be in some degree of stableequilibrium to allow the two remaining, more evolved, primary moods of“Happy” and “Sad” to in turn find some equilibrium. For example, it isfar harder for a person to maintain a good balance between the primarymoods of “Happy” and “Sad” if the person's core states of “Anger” and“Fear” are significantly unbalanced.

The depiction of two balanced arms provides a further graphicalrepresentation of mood state. As with the mood-pie described above, theprocess can be repeated on one or more occasions over a period of time,with the period of time constituting minutes, hours, days, weeks, monthsor even years. Preferably, the person is asked to think about ormood-focus on the same subject each time and select the relativeproportions of the four primary moods using the tools described hereinfollowing which the balancing arms are generated. Any changes in themood-balance over the period of time may be used as a guide tounderstanding the change in mood state of the person over that period oftime.

Once the person has graphically represented their mood state, they canbe asked by their physician, or the electronic device, to enter some ofthe thoughts they were having as they graphically represented their moodstate. The person preferably enters their thoughts for each of the fourprimary moods. These thoughts can be stored along with the graphicalrepresentation made at that time. These thoughts may be useful for thetreating physician but will also provide a valuable future referencesource to the person, when reviewing their graphical representations, asto what they thinking when they formed a particular graphicalrepresentation.

In another embodiment of this aspect, the graphical representation meanscan comprise paper having one or more circles or other shapes providedthereon which are able to be coloured in to form a mood-pie as definedherein. In another embodiment, the paper can have one or more Cartesianplanes or Cartesian spaces provided thereon which can be used to formmood-compasses and/or mood-quadrangles as defined herein.

In this regard, the graphical representation means preferably includes aset of coloured pencils that can be selected by the person, with thecolour being representative of a primary mood.

In another embodiment, the graphical representation means can comprise aseries of coloured rings. The series preferably includes at least fourdifferent coloured sets of rings, which set comprising a relativelysmall central disc and three other rings, each of increasing dimension.In one embodiment, the rings are preferably annular with the centraldisc being circular. In another embodiment, the rings can be formed ofanother shape, such as a square, rectangle, and so on.

In a preferred embodiment, the respective rings of a particular colourare sized such that they are concentrically positionable together. Inthis regard, the different coloured sets are preferably compatible indimension so that the person can build up a series of concentric ringsand a central disc representative of their mood state as defined herein.

In another embodiment, the four moods can be represented by threedifferently coloured and sized concentric shells that in turn arepositionable around a small coloured central core element akin to the“babushka” dolls of Russia. The person can be presented with a set ofvarious differently coloured shells and central elements of varioussizes and can then be allowed, following a mood-focus, to put togetherthe shells and central element in a manner representative of their moodstate. For example, the person can be presented with four colour sets ofshells and central elements. The person is then allowed to select acentral element from one of the four colours, a first shell that isimmediately larger than the central element of a second colour, a secondshell that is immediately larger than the first shell of a third colour,and finally a third shell that is immediately larger than the secondshell of a fourth colour. The third shell is representative of theirpredominant primary mood about that focus, with the second shell, firstshell, and central element being representative in decreasingpredominance of the other three primary moods. It will be appreciatedthat the shells and central element can be of any colour, shape and/orhave any decoration or patterning thereon.

The process of forming mood-rings or using the concentric shells can berepeated on one or more occasions over a period of time, with the periodof time constituting minutes, hours, days, weeks, months or even years.Again, preferably, the person is asked to think about or mood-focus onthe same subject each time and select and put together the mood-rings orshells. Any changes in the mood-rings or shells over the period of timemay be used as a guide to understanding the change in mood state of theperson over that period of time.

According to a further aspect, the present invention is a computerprogramme for graphically representing a selected mood state of a personby:

(a) presenting a graphical representation means to the person; and

(b) requesting the person use the graphical representation means tographically represent the proportion that each of a number of primarymoods contributes to the selected mood state.

According to a yet another aspect, the present invention is a computerreadable medium containing machine-executable programme code forgraphically representing a selected mood state of a person, the code, onexecution by a computer, resulting in the computer:

(a) presenting a graphical representation means to the person; and

(b) requesting the person use the graphical representation means tographically represent the proportion that each of a number of primarymoods contributes to the selected mood state.

In these further aspects, the programme and/or computer readable mediumcan be adapted to perform any one of the steps as defined herein inaccordance with the first aspect of the present invention. Stillfurther, the programme and/or computer readable medium can be used inconjunction with the system as defined herein in accordance with thesecond aspect of the present invention.

By providing graphical representation of mood states, the presentinvention can be used in the diagnosis, analysis and/or treatment ofmood and mood disorders. The present invention provides a person (withappropriate training), or a physician, with a means of determining moodstate and allowing monitoring and comparison of mood state over periodsof time. The information provided by the present invention can then beused by the person and/or physician as one input in consideringtechniques for changing mood. In particular, it provides a person andtheir physician with a means of readily noting that their mood state hasdeteriorated and taking steps to adjust their mood state before theonset of more serious disorders such as depression. It also provides ameans of delivering positive feedback to a person attempting to improvetheir mood and so provide encouragement to continue the process with aview to improving their mood.

The present invention is further particularly suitable for children andprovides a means of introducing concepts of mental health to children ina non-threatening and educational way.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

By way of example only, a preferred embodiment of the invention is nowdescribed with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a method according to the present inventionfor determining the mood state of a person;

FIGS. 2 a-2 e depict screens from an electronic device running themethod according to the present invention in which a person selectscolours as representative of the four primary moods;

FIGS. 3 a-7 b depict various menus that are presented to the person toallow them to select their mood-focus;

FIG. 8 is a view of the display screen of a small handheld computer,such as a personal organiser, that can be used to perform the method;

FIG. 9 is a view of a mood pie formed using the programme;

FIG. 10 is a view of a mood-compass formed on a Cartesian plane usingthe programme;

FIG. 11 is a mood-quadrangle formed using the programme;

FIG. 12 is a mood compass formed in a Cartesian space using theprogramme;

FIG. 13 is a three dimensional representation formed in a Cartesianspace using the programme;

FIG. 14 is a mood-ring made by using the method according to the presentinvention; and

FIG. 15 depicts an output from the programme including FASH indices;

FIG. 16 is an example of a further graphical representation of the moodstate of the person based on use of the FASH indices;

FIG. 17 is a side view of a set of shells and a central element that areconcentrically positionable together for use as a mood tool in thepresent invention.

PREFERRED MODE OF CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

As described herein, the present inventor proposes a theory that fourprimary moods (i.e. Happy, Sad, Fear and Anger) combine in variouscombinations to generate a multitude of secondary moods. A person's moodstate will typically be a secondary mood state that is based on somecombination of these four primary moods. This theory which the inventorhas termed the “Quaternary Mood Theory” has the potential to provide anintegrated and simple approach to understanding mood. The inventorsclinical and research experience combined with the symmetrical,bi-hemispheric neuroanatomical architecture of the human brain supportsthis Quaternary Mood Theory.

A flow chart depicting the steps of a method of graphically representingthe mood state of a person using a system in the form of an electronicdevice is depicted generally as 10 in FIG. 1. The method can beperformed by a computer programme software running on a computer. Theprogram can be stored on computer-readable medium, such as a hard disc,floppy disc or other appropriate storage device.

The method 10 comprises a first Start step 11 where the person loads thesoftware into the electronic device. The device then displays anIdentifier Menu 12 where the person can enter their details, such astheir name, age, and/or identifier number.

Once in the programme, the device displays a Select Menu 13. From thismenu, the person can select a colour for each of a number of primarymoods. In the method 10, the person will normally be presented with arange of colours to which can be assigned a primary mood. These coloursinclude black, red, green, yellow, dark blue, brown, light blue, purpleand white. Other colours can be envisaged.

When presented with the Select Menu 13, the person is asked to assign acolour to four primary moods. In the case of children, the primary moodswill typically be represented by the words “Happy”, “Sad”, “Fear” and“Anger”. In the case of adults, the four primary moods may be presentedin less confronting language as “Delight”, “Reflection”, “Caution” and“Assertion”.

It is generally regarded that there is no correct colour to identifythese primary moods. The method 10 does though allow the person toselect which colour is representative of which primary mood. Changes inthe selection of colour for a particular primary mood may be noted bythe physician and used to monitor changes in mood state.

FIGS. 2 a-2 e depict the various steps of selecting different coloursfor each of the primary moods. In FIG. 2 a, the person is asked to“Choose your colour for FEAR”. As depicted by FIG. 2 b, the person haschosen Black as representative of this primary mood. Also in FIG. 2 b,the person is asked to “Choose your colour for ANGER”. As depicted byFIG. 2 c, the person has chosen Red as representative of this primarymood. Also in FIG. 2 c, the person is asked to “Choose your colour forSAD”. As depicted by FIG. 2 d, the person has chosen Dark Blue asrepresentative of this primary mood. Also in FIG. 2 d, the person isasked to “Choose your colour for HAPPY”. As depicted by FIG. 2 e, theperson has chosen Yellow as representative of this primary mood. Also inFIG. 2 e, the person is asked to “Now press continue to choose your MoodFocus”.

Once the person has chosen their four colours, the person enters a FocusMenu 14. This step requires the person to think about or mood-focus on aparticular subject. In this regard, the person may choose to think aboutor focus on a particular subject or may be prompted to do so by theirphysician. In the case of an adult, the subject may be somethingfamiliar to that person such as their workplace, or their humanrelationships. In respect of children, the subject may be school, asport, family members, or a particular friend.

As depicted by FIGS. 3 a to 7 b, the device can display various optionsfor the person to select as their mood-focus. As depicted in FIG. 3 a,the subjects presented to the person might include:

Myself

Family

Friends

Work

School

Other.

Where the person chooses “Myself”, the person can be presented with asub-menu of subjects as depicted in FIG. 3 b, namely:

My Looks

My Thoughts

My Weight

My Personality

My Habits

Other

Where the person chooses one of these subjects, the person can bepresented with a still further sub-menu of subjects as depicted by FIG.3 c. Where the person has selected “My Looks”, for example, the personis presented with the following list of foci:

How I now feel about my looks.

How I used to feel about my looks.

How I would like to feel about my looks.

Similar statements are presented to the person should they choose one ofthe other subjects in the sub-menu depicted in FIG. 3 b. Where theperson chooses “Other”, the programme would preferably allow the personto enter the subject that is person is proposing to focus on.

Where the person chooses the subject “Family”, the person can bepresented with a sub-menu of subjects as depicted in FIG. 4 a, namely:

Mother

Father

Brother

Sister

Children

Other

Where the person chooses one of these subjects, the person can bepresented with a still further sub-menu of subjects as depicted in FIG.4 b. Where the person has selected “Mother”, for example, the person ispresented with the following list of foci:

How I now feel about my mother.

How I used to feel about my mother.

How I would like to feel about my mother.

Similar statements might be presented for each of the subjects in thesub-menu of FIG. 4 a.

Where the person chooses “Friends”, the person can be presented with asub-menu of subjects as depicted in FIG. 5 a, namely:

Boyfriend

Girlfriend

Other

Where the person chooses one of these subjects, the person can bepresented with a still further sub-menu of subjects as depicted in FIG.5 b. Where the person has selected “Boyfriend”, for example, the personis presented with the following list of foci:

How I now feel about my boyfriend.

How I used to feel about my boyfriend.

How I would like to feel about my boyfriend.

Similar statements might be presented for each of the subjects in thesub-menu.

Where the person chooses “Work”, the person can be presented with asub-menu of subjects as depicted in FIG. 6 a, namely:

Boss

Workmates

Customers

Workload

Holidays

Other

Other subjects, such as “Sick leave” can be envisaged. Where the personchooses one of these subjects, the person can be presented with a stillfurther sub-menu of subjects as depicted in FIG. 6 b. Where the personselects “Boss”, for example, the person is presented with the followinglist of foci:

How I now feel about my boss.

How I used to feel about my boss.

How I would like to feel about my boss.

Similar statements might be presented for each of the subjects in thesub-menu.

Where the person chooses “School”, the person can be presented with asub-menu of subjects as depicted in FIG. 7 a, namely:

School work

Homework

School friends

Teacher

School bully

Other

Other subjects such as “Examinations” and “Sick days” can be envisaged.Where the person chooses one of these subjects, the person can bepresented with a still further sub-menu of subjects as depicted in FIG.7 b. Where the person selects “School work”, for example, the personmight be presented with the following list of foci:

How I now feel about my school work.

How I used to feel about my school work.

How I would like to feel about my school work.

Similar statements might be presented for each of the subjects in thesub-menu.

Once the mood-focus has been identified, the method comprises a step 15in which the person is presented with a graphical display screen.

A number of techniques or “mood tools” can be used to perform step 15 inwhich the person graphically represents the contribution each primarymood makes to the mood state resulting from the person's mood-focus.

In one arrangement, the electronic device can be a handheld computer 20as depicted in FIG. 2.

While the depicted device 20 is a handheld computer, the method 10 couldbe performed on a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a notebook typecomputer, a personal organiser, or a cellular telephone. In anotherembodiment, a system comprising paper and pencils could be utilised andwill be described as appropriate below.

The depicted device 20 has a microprocessor housed in a case 21, avisual display touch screen 22, and a touch stylus 23. In a furtherembodiment, the computer preferably has a data storage device. Thedevice 20 uses software instructions to run a programme that allows aperson to graphically represent their mood state.

As depicted in FIG. 9, the screen 22 can display a circle 25 that isable to be coloured in by the person. Other shapes that can be colouredin can be envisaged. In this regard, the person presses each of the upand down buttons to increase or decrease the degree to which the circle25 is coloured in by the colours selected by the person asrepresentative of the four primary moods.

In the example depicted in FIG. 9, the person is an adult and has chosento focus on an upcoming speech they have been requested to give at afriend's wedding. The biggest slice of the pie chart or mood-pie isHappy. The person has also entered a comment that they “love weddingsand sharing amusing incidents about the groom”. The person though hasalso allocated space in the mood-pie to Fear, Anger and Sad but insmaller proportions. This mod-pie reflects a relatively balanced moodstate to the upcoming speech. A mood-pie in which the slices allocatedto Fear or Anger were quite large would reflect an unbalanced mood statein respect of the upcoming speech.

In another example, a child that has been asked to focus on theirfeelings about school and who enjoys school may choose to fill asignificant portion of the pre-defined area with a colour that has beenselected by that child as representative of the primary mood “Happy”,with much less of the area coloured in the colour selected for theprimary mood state of “Sad”, “Fear” or “Anger”. For a child that doesnot enjoy school or is experiencing bullying at school, the reverse maybe expected. This process is repeated for each of the primary moodsuntil the pre-defined area is full.

As depicted in FIG. 1, the person is presented at step 16 with an optionof storing and/or printing the mood-pie for later review and/orcomparison with other tests. At step 17, the person can choose to repeatthe process or exit the program (step 18).

The method 10 can be repeated on one or more occasions over a period oftime. The period of time might constitute minutes, hours, days, weeks,months or even years. Preferably, the person is asked to think about ormood-focus on the same subject each time and colour in a mood-pierepresentative of the primary moods. Any changes in the mood-pie overthe period of time may be used as a guide to understanding the change inmood state of the person over that period of time.

As depicted in FIGS. 10 and 11, the screen 22 can instead display aCartesian plane 31 (or xy-plane) that allows the person to plot amood-compass and/or mood-quadrangle as defined herein.

In FIG. 10, the person is asked to assign a number between 0 and 10 thatis representative of the contribution a primary mood makes to theirselected mood state. This may be repeated for each of the four primarymoods defined herein.

The numbers chosen by the person are plotted on the axes of theCartesian plane 31. In the depicted embodiment, the positive side of they-axis is representative of “Happy” (or “Delight”) while the negativeside of the y-axis is representative of “Sad” (or “Reflection”). Thepositive side of the x-axis is representative of the primary mood “Fear”(or “Caution”) while the negative side of the x-axis is representativeof “Anger” (or “Assertion”).

The use of the axes of the Cartesian plane in other combinations can beenvisaged. For example, the primary moods “Happy” and “Sad” can insteadbe plotted on the x-axis while the primary moods “Fear” and “Anger” canbe plotted on the y-axis.

In the embodiment, the person in focussing on a particular subject canselect a number between 0 and 10 for each primary mood and then plotthis number on the axes of the Cartesian plane 31. In the depictedembodiment, a coloured line (32 a, 32 b, 32 c, 32 d) is drawn from theorigin of the Cartesian plane 31 to each of the plots. The colour ofeach of these lines can be selected in the manner depicted in FIG. 2 a-2e. The result is four coloured lines (32 a-32 d) of individual lengthextending from the origin of the Cartesian plane 31. This set of fourlines or “mood-compass” presents in graphical form the mood state of theperson. As with the mood-pie described above, the process can berepeated on one or more occasions over a period of time, with the periodof time constituting minutes, hours, days, weeks, months or even years.Preferably, the person is asked to think about or mood-focus on the samesubject each time and plot their primary moods and form a mood-compass.Any changes in the mood-compass over the period of time may be used as aguide to understanding the change in mood state of the person over thatperiod of time.

It will be appreciated that in forming the mood-compass, the number doesnot need to be between 0 and 10 and can instead be between any twonumbers. In another embodiment, for example, the person may select anumber between 0 and 100.

As depicted in FIG. 11, a quadrangle 33 can then be formed by joiningthe plots made on the Cartesian plane 31. This four-sided figure or“mood-quadrangle” 33 also presents in graphical form the mood state ofthe person. As with the mood-pie described above, the process can berepeated on one or more occasions over a period of time, with the periodof time constituting minutes, hours, days, weeks, months or even years.Again, preferably, the person is asked to think about or mood-focus onthe same subject each time and plot their primary moods and form amood-quadrangle 33. Any changes in the mood-quadrangle 33 (eg. shapeand/or area) over the period of time may be used as a guide tounderstanding the change in mood state of the person over that period oftime.

As depicted in FIGS. 12 and 13, the graphical representation can beplotted on a Cartesian space (or xyz-space) 35 instead of just aCartesian plane. In this regard, one or two of the primary moods may beplotted on a z axis of the Cartesian space 35. This has the potential ofallowing the person to form three-dimensional representations of theirmood state. As depicted in FIG. 12, this can be a three-dimensionalmood-compass or as depicted in FIG. 13 a three-dimensional mood shape.

As with the mood-pie described above, the process depicted in FIGS. 12and 13 can be repeated on one or more occasions over a period of time,with the period of time constituting minutes, hours, days, weeks, monthsor even years. Preferably, the person is asked to think about ormood-focus on the same subject each time and plot their primary moods onthe Cartesian space 35. Any changes in the shape of thethree-dimensional representation over the period of time may be used asa guide to understanding the change in mood state of the person overthat period of time.

The programme running on device 20 can automatically generate amood-quadrangle 33 on completion of the mood-compass by the person. Themood-compass or mood-quadrangle 33 can be stored in the storage devicefor later review and/or comparison with other tests.

In yet another embodiment, the programme can allow the person to form amood-ring 41 as depicted in FIG. 14 by selecting coloured rings ofdesired dimensions on the screen 22 of the device 20. The mood-ring soformed can be stored in the storage device for later review and/orcomparison with other tests.

To form the mood-ring 41, the person using the device 20 can bepresented on the screen 22 with a set of coloured rings of varyingdiameters. In using these rings, the person can select a ring colourrepresentative of a particular primary mood and then select from a rangeof sizes a ring of a particular diameter representative of the degree towhich a primary mood is representative of their feelings about theselected subject or focus. Generally, the greater the proportion aprimary mood is representative of their feelings about said subject, thelarger the ring diameter.

As depicted, the person will preferably be instructed to put togetherthe set of concentric rings by starting with what they regard as theirpredominant primary mood about the subject or focus and then workinwardly placing smaller diameter rings representative of the otherprimary moods within the firstly selected largest ring to form agraphical representation of their mood state.

In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 14, the mood-ring 41 has been puttogether from three annular rings and a central disc. The outer ring 42is representative of a first primary mood (eg. happy); the ring 43immediately inward of the outer ring 42 is of a different colour and isrepresentative of a different primary mood (eg. angry). The next innerring 44 is of a still different colour and is representative of yet adifferent primary mood (eg. fearful) while the inner disc 45 is of astill different colour and representative of the final primary mood (eg.sad).

As with the mood-pie described above, the process of forming a mood-ringcan be repeated on one or more occasions over a period of time, with theperiod of time constituting minutes, hours, days, weeks, months or evenyears. Again, preferably, the person is asked to think about ormood-focus on the same subject each time and select and put together themood-rings. Any changes in the mood-rings over the period of time may beused as a guide to understanding the change in mood state of the personover that period of time.

In addition to providing a means of graphically representing a moodstate, the device 20 can be used to analyse the graphicalrepresentations and provide statistical analyses thereof. For example,the device 20 can allocate a score to each primary mood based on thegraphical representation such that the total score adds to 10, or 100,or some other number. A so-called FASH (Fear/Anger/Sad/Happy) score orindex can then be output by the device 20 as depicted in FIG. 15. Thescores from different methods of graphically representing the mood-statecan also be compared.

As depicted in FIG. 16, the FASH score or index can be used to form astill further graphical representation of the selected mood state of theperson. In this regard, the graphical representation can comprise twosets of balanced arms 51,52, with a first arm 51 supporting the fulcrum53 of a second arm 52. The first arm can be representative of theprimary moods “fear” and “anger” while the second arm can berepresentative of the primary moods “happy” and “sad”. The presentinventor has coined the tern “mood-balance tower” for this graphicalrepresentation of overall mood state.

Where the determined score for the primary moods “Fear” and “Anger” arethe same, the first arm will be graphically depicted as evenly balancedwith the length of the left and right side of the arm being equidistantfrom the fulcrum. Where the score allocated to “fear” is greater than orless than the score allocated to “anger”, the first arm will be depictedas unbalanced, with the degree of unbalance being dependent on thedifference between the scores allocated to these two primary moods, asis depicted in FIG. 16. If the score allocated to “Fear” is less thanthat allocated to “Anger”, the first balance arm will be depicted astipped relatively downwardly on the “Anger” side of the balance inproportion to the difference between the relative scores for “Fear” and“Anger”.

Where the determined score for the primary moods “Happy” and “Sad” arethe same, the second arm will be graphically depicted as evenly balancedas is depicted in FIG. 16. Where the score allocated to “Happy” isgreater than or less than the score allocated to “Sad”, the second armwill be depicted as unbalanced, with the degree of unbalance again beingdependent on the difference between the scores allocated to these twoprimary moods.

The graphical representation of the second arm, which represents “Happy”and “Sad” being supported by the first arm representing “anger” and“fear” is in accordance with an epigenetic aspect of the QMT postulatedby the present inventor that the primary moods “Anger” and “Fear” arecore emotional states which are required to be in some degree of stableequilibrium to allow the two remaining, more involved, primary moods of“Happy” and “Sad” to in turn find some equilibrium. For example, it isfar harder for a person to maintain a good balance between the primarymoods of “Happy” and “Sad” if the person's core states of “Anger” and“Fear” are significantly unbalanced.

The depiction of two balanced arms provides a further graphicalrepresentation of mood state. As with the mood-pie described above, theprocess can be repeated on one or more occasions over a period of time,with the period of time constituting minutes, hours, days, weeks, monthsor even years. Preferably, the person is asked to think about ormood-focus on the same subject each time and select the relativeproportions of the four primary moods using the tools described hereinfollowing which the balancing arms are generated. Any changes in themood-balance over the period of time may be used as a guide tounderstanding the change in mood state of the person over that period oftime.

While a computer based system for performing the method 10 as describedabove is envisaged as being preferred, it will be appreciated that themethod 10 could be performed in other ways.

For example, in one embodiment, the graphical representation devicecould comprise paper having one or more circles or other shapes providedthereon which are able to be coloured in to form a mood-pie as definedherein. In another embodiment, the paper can have one or more Cartesianplanes or Cartesian spaces provided thereon which can be used to formmood-compasses and/or mood-quadrangles as defined herein.

In this regard, the system preferably includes a set of coloured pencilsthat can be selected by the person, with the colour being representativeof a primary mood.

In another embodiment, the graphical representation device can comprisea physical kit comprising a series of coloured rings. In a mannersimilar to what is displayed electronically in FIG. 14, the kit caninclude at least four different coloured sets of rings, which setcomprising a relatively small central disc 45 and three other rings(42-44), each of increasing dimension.

In a preferred embodiment of the kit, the respective rings of aparticular colour are sized such that they are concentricallypositionable together. In this regard, the different coloured sets arepreferably compatible in dimension so that the person can build up aseries of concentric rings and a central disc representative of theirmood state as defined herein.

In another embodiment, and as is depicted in FIG. 17, the four moods canbe represented by three differently coloured and sized concentric shells(61,62,63) that in turn are positionable around a small coloured centralcore element (64) akin to the “babushka” dolls of Russia. It will beseen that each of the shells (61,62,63) can be pulled apart into twoparts. For example, shell 61 has a top part 61 a and a bottom part 61bthat can be frictionally engaged with each other around join line 61 c.This construction allows shell 63 to be opened and element 64 to beplaced therein. Once element 64 is placed therein and shell 63 isre-formed, it can in turn be placed inside shell 62, which once formedcan in turn be placed inside shell 61.

The person can be presented with a set of various differently colouredshells and central elements of various sizes and can then be allowed,following a mood-focus, to put together the shells and central elementin a manner representative of their mood state. For example, the personcan be presented with or select four different coloured versions of theset of shells and central elements depicted generally as 60 in FIG. 17.For example, the person might be presented with four sets of the coloursblack, green, red and blue. Other colours can be envisaged.

The person is then allowed to select a central element 64 from one ofthe four colours, a first shell 63 that is immediately larger than thecentral element 64 of a second colour, a second shell 62 that isimmediately larger than the first shell 63 of a third colour, andfinally a third shell 61 that is immediately larger than the secondshell 62 of a fourth colour. The third shell 61 is representative oftheir predominant primary mood about that focus, with the second shell62, first shell 63, and central element 64 being representative indecreasing predominance of the other three primary moods. It will beappreciated that the shells and central element can be of any colour,shape and/or have any decoration or patterning thereon.

In the set depicted in FIG. 17, the person might, for example, havingundertaken a mood-focus, have chosen the third shell 61 to berepresentative of the primary mood “happy”, the second shell 62 to berepresentative of the primary mood “sad”, the first shell 63 to berepresentative of the primary mood “anger” and the central element 64 tobe representative of the primary mood “fear”. The person might beencouraged to concentrically position the shells and central element andthen pull it apart while explaining to their consulting physician whythey put together the shells in the particular order that they chose.This tool again uses colour and shape to allow the person to represent amood state in a non-verbal way.

The process of forming mood-rings or using the concentric shells can berepeated on one or more occasions over a period of time, with the periodof time constituting minutes, hours, days, weeks, months or even years.Again, preferably, the person is asked to think about or mood-focus onthe same subject each time and select and put together the mood-rings orshells. Any changes in the mood-rings or shells over the period of timemay be used as a guide to understanding the change in mood state of theperson over that period of time.

The present invention provides a person (with appropriate training) or aphysician with a means of determining mood state and allowing monitoringand comparison of mood state over periods of time. The informationprovided by the present invention can then be used by the person and/orphysician as one input in considering techniques for changing mood. Inparticular, it provides a person and their physician with a means ofreadily noting that their mood state has deteriorated and taking stepsto adjust that before the onset of more serious disorders such asdepression or bipolar disorder. It also provides a means of deliveringpositive feedback to a person attempting to improve their mood and soprovide encouragement to continue the process. The colouredvisuo-spatial manner in which these inventions express mood are proposedby the inventor to be registrable, both passively and actively, with thedeeper and phylogenetically older non-verbal areas of the brainassociated with mood formation.

It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that numerousvariations and/or modifications may be made to the invention as shown inthe specific embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope ofthe invention as broadly described. The present embodiments are,therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and notrestrictive.

1. A method of graphically representing a selected mood state of aperson, the method comprising the steps of: (a) presenting a graphicalrepresentation means to the person; and (b) having the person use thegraphical representation means to graphically represent the proportionthat each of a number of primary moods contributes to the selected moodstate.
 2. The method of claim 1 of graphically representing a selectedmood state of a person further comprising a step of: (c) displaying theresult of the graphical representation.
 3. The method of graphicallyrepresenting a selected mood state of a person of claim 2 wherein theperson can use colour and/or dimension to graphically represent theproportion that said each of a number of primary moods contributes tosaid selected mood state.
 4. The method of graphically representing aselected mood state of a person of claim 3 wherein the steps areperformed in combination with input received from a physician.
 5. Themethod of graphically representing a selected mood state of a person ofclaim 3 wherein the person is required to input identification detailsprior to step (b).
 6. The method of graphically representing a selectedmood state of a person of claim 5 wherein the identification detailsinclude the person's name, address, age, and/or identifier number. 7.The method of graphically representing a selected mood state of a personof claim 3 further comprising a step where the person selects which of aplurality of colours is representative to them of a particular primarymood.
 8. The method of graphically representing a selected mood state ofa person of claim 7 wherein the person is asked to assign a colour tofour primary moods.
 9. The method of graphically representing a selectedmood state of a person of claim 8 wherein the four primary moods are“Fear”, “Anger”, “Sad” and “Happy”.
 10. The method of graphicallyrepresenting a selected mood state of a person of claim 9 furthercomprising prior to step (b), a step where the person thinks about orfocuses on a selected mood state.
 11. The method of graphicallyrepresenting a selected mood state of a person of claim 10 wherein thesubject is selected from the group comprising their workplace, theirhuman relationships, a memory, a hope for the future, school, sport,family members, a bully, or a particular friend.
 12. The method ofgraphically representing a selected mood state of a person of claim 11wherein step (b) comprises colouring in a shape of pre-defined area withthe four selected colours, with the proportion of the colours beingrepresentative of the proportion of how much that primary moodcontributes to the selected mood state.
 13. The method of graphicallyrepresenting a selected mood state of a person of claim 12 wherein thepredefined area is in the shape of a circle and the resulting graphicalrepresentation is a pie chart.
 14. The method of graphicallyrepresenting a selected mood state of a person of claim 11 wherein step(b) comprises plotting values on a Cartesian plane, with each axis ofthe plane being representative of one of the four primary moods.
 15. Themethod of graphically representing a selected mood state of a person ofclaim 14 further comprising the person selecting a number on a scalethat is representative of the degree to which each of the primary moodscontributes to the selected mood state and plotting these numbers on therespective appropriate axes of the Cartesian plane.
 16. The method ofgraphically representing a selected mood state of a person of claim 15wherein the positive side of the y-axis is representative of the primarymood “Happy”, the negative side of the y-axis is representative of theprimary mood “Sad”, the positive side of the x-axis is representative ofthe primary mood “Fear” and the negative side of the x-axis isrepresentative of the primary mood “Anger”.
 17. The method ofgraphically representing a selected mood state of a person of claim 15wherein a coloured line is drawn from the origin of the Cartesian planeto each of the plots made on the Cartesian plane.
 18. The method ofgraphically representing a selected mood state of a person of claim 15wherein the plots made on the Cartesian plane are used to form aquadrangle that is formed by joining the plots made on the Cartesianplane.
 19. The method of graphically representing a selected mood stateof a person of claim 11 further comprising the person selecting a numberon a scale that is representative of the degree to which each of theprimary moods contributes to the selected mood state and plotting thesenumbers on at least some of the axes of the Cartesian space.
 20. Themethod of graphically representing a selected mood state of a person ofclaim 19 wherein one or two of the primary moods are plotted on a z axisof the Cartesian space.
 21. The method of graphically representing aselected mood state of a person of claim 20 wherein the plots made onthe Cartesian space are joined by lines to form a three-dimensionalrepresentation of the mood state.
 22. The method of graphicallyrepresenting a selected mood state of claim 12, wherein the process isrepeated on one or more occasions over a period of time, with thevarious graphical representations being stored for later retrievaland/or comparison.
 23. The method of graphically representing a selectedmood state of a person of claim 11 wherein step (a) comprises presentingthe person with a set of coloured rings of varying diameters and step(b) comprises the person selecting a ring colour representative of aparticular primary mood and then selecting from a range of sizes ofrings of that selected colour a ring of a particular diameterrepresentative of the proportion that that primary mood contributes tothe selected mood state.
 24. The method of graphically representing aselected mood state of a person of claim 23 wherein the person uses aset of concentric rings and puts them together by starting with whatthey regard as their predominant primary mood about said subject andthen by working inwardly places smaller diameter rings representative ofthe other primary moods within the firstly selected largest ring to forma graphical representation of their mood state.
 25. The method ofgraphically representing a selected mood state of a person of claim 11wherein a percentage score is allocated to each primary mood based onthe graphical representation such that the total score adds to
 100. 26.The method of graphically representing a selected mood state of a personof claim 25 wherein a FASH (Fear/Anger/Sad/Happy) index is preparedbased on said scores.
 27. The method of graphically representing aselected mood state of a person of claim 25 wherein said scores are usedto form a further graphical representation comprising two sets ofbalanced arms, with variable length and/or colour, with a first armsupporting the fulcrum of a second arm, the first arm beingrepresentative of the primary moods “fear” and ”anger” and the secondarm being representative of the primary moods “happy” and “sad”.
 28. Themethod of graphically representing a selected mood state of a person ofclaim 27 wherein where the determined score for the primary moods “fear”and “anger” are the same, the first arm will be graphically depicted asevenly balanced and where the determined score for the primary moods“happy” and “sad” are the same, the second arm will be graphicallydepicted as evenly balanced.
 29. A system for graphically representing aselected mood-state of a person, the system comprising: a graphicalrepresentation means for graphically representing the proportion thateach of a number of primary moods contributes to the selected moodstate.
 30. The system of claim 29 wherein the graphical representationmeans allows a person to use colour and/or dimension to graphicallyrepresent the proportion that said each of a number of primary moodscontributes to said selected mood state.
 31. The system of claim 30wherein the system is an electronic device selected from the groupcomprising a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a notebook typecomputer, a personal organiser, a handheld game device, and a cellulartelephone.
 32. The system of claim 31 wherein the electronic device hasa microprocessor, a visual display device, an input device, and a datastorage device.
 33. The system of claim 32 wherein the electronic deviceuses programme code to run a programme on the device that allows aperson to graphically represent the said selected mood state.
 34. Thesystem of claim 33 wherein the programme code, on execution, results inthe electronic device requiring the person to input identificationdetails before proceeding.
 35. The system of claim 33 wherein theprogramme code, on execution, results in the device displaying a SelectMenu which requires the person to select which of a plurality of coloursis representative to them of a particular primary mood.
 36. The systemof claim 35 wherein the Select Menu comprises the display of a pluralityof blocks of different colour on the visual display device, from whichthe person selects colours that are considered representative of each ofthe primary moods.
 37. The system of claim 36 wherein the Select Menurequires the person to assign a colour to four primary moods.
 38. Thesystem of claim 37 wherein the four primary moods are “Fear”, “Anger”,“Sad” and “Happy”.
 39. The system of claim 33 wherein the programmecode, on execution, results in the electronic device asking the personto think about or focus on the selected mood state before theygraphically represent said selected mood state.
 40. The system of claim39 wherein details of said selected mood state are enterable into theelectronic device using the input device and stored in the data storagedevice for later retrieval or comparison with other tests.
 41. Thesystem of claim 40 wherein the input device is selected from the groupcomprising a keyboard, a keypad, a mouse, a joystick, a stylus, and atouch screen.
 42. The system of claim 38 wherein the visual displaydevice displays a graphical input screen that allows the person tographically represent the proportion that each primary mood contributesto the selected mood state.
 43. The system of claim 42 wherein thegraphical input screen comprises a shape of pre-defined area that isable to be coloured in with the selected colours.
 44. The system ofclaim 43 wherein the person selects a first primary mood and then theperson is asked to colour in a portion of that area that isrepresentative of how much that primary mood contributes to the selectedmood state, the process being repeated for each of the four primarymoods.
 45. The system of claim 44 wherein the predefined area is acircle, with the coloured in circle being a pie chart.
 46. The system ofclaim 45 wherein the process of forming pie charts is repeated on one ormore occasions over a period of time, with the various pie charts beingstored in the storage device for later retrieval and/or comparison withother tests.
 47. The system of claim 42 wherein the graphical inputscreen comprises a Cartesian plane.
 48. The system of claim 47 whereinthe person uses the input device to plot points for each of the primarymoods on the four axes of the Cartesian plane.
 49. The system of claim48 wherein the positive side of the y-axis is representative of theprimary mood “Happy”, the negative side of the y-axis is representativeof the primary mood “Sad”, the positive side of the x-axis isrepresentative of the primary mood “Fear”, and the negative side of thex-axis is representative of the primary mood “Anger”.
 50. The system ofclaim 48 wherein the electronic device draws a coloured line from theorigin of the Cartesian plane to each of the plots, with the coloursbeing as selected by the person as representative of that plottedprimary mood.
 51. The system of claim 48 wherein the electronic devicedraws a coloured line between each of the plots on the Cartesian planeto form a quadrangle.
 52. The system of claim 42 wherein the graphicalinput screen comprises a Cartesian space, with one or two of the primarymoods being plotted on a z axis of the Cartesian space.
 53. The systemof claim 42 wherein the graphical input screen comprises the depictionof a plurality of coloured rings of different dimensions on the displaydevice of the device, the rings being selectable with the input deviceso that the person puts together a set of concentric rings by startingwith what they regard as their predominant primary mood about saidsubject and then work inwardly placing smaller diameter ringsrepresentative of the other primary moods within the firstly selectedlargest ring to form a graphical representation of their mood state. 54.The system of claim 42 wherein the electronic device analyses thegraphical representations and develops statistical analyses thereof. 55.The system of claim 54 wherein the electronic device allocates apercentage score to each primary mood based on the graphicalrepresentation such that the total score adds to 100, the device thengenerates a FASH (Fear/Anger/Sad/Happy) index.
 56. The system of claim55 wherein the FASH index is used to form a still further graphicalrepresentation of the selected mood state of the person.
 57. The systemof claim 56 wherein the further graphical representation comprises twosets of balanced arms, with a first arm supporting the fulcrum of asecond arm, the first arm being representative of the primary moods“Fear” and “Anger”and the second arm being representative of the primarymoods “Happy” and “Sad”.
 58. The system of claim 57 wherein when thedetermined scores for the primary moods “Fear” and “Anger” are the same,the first arm is graphically depicted as evenly balanced and when thedetermined scores for the primary moods “Happy” and “Sad”are the same,the second arm is graphically depicted as evenly balanced.
 59. Acomputer programme for graphically representing a selected mood state ofa person by: (a) presenting a graphical representation means to theperson; and (b) requesting the person use the graphical representationmeans to graphically represent the proportion that each of a number ofprimary moods contributes to the selected mood state.
 60. A computerreadable medium containing machine-executable programme code forgraphically representing a selected mood state of a person, the code, onexecution by a computer, resulting in the computer: (a) presenting agraphical representation means to the person; and (b) requesting theperson use the graphical representation means to graphically representthe proportion that each of a number of primary moods contributes to theselected mood state.